The setting of BioShock is a wonderful idea: a secret self-sufficient subaqueous ‘50s city seemingly created for the individualistic residence of the richest and smartest people in the world, discovered accidently in a mysterious state of disrepair and near-abandonment. The introduction to this setting is also a wonderful idea. In fact, having recently completed the game, I can say with confidence that the greatest and most potent act of BioShock is the first ten minutes in which this introduction takes place. The player is given control almost immediately, following a plane crash over the Mid-Atlantic, allowing them to swim from the fiery wreckage to the only visible point of safety—a small structure mysteriously emerging from what should be open sea. Upon entering, lobby jazz music and lights flicker on automatically, revealing the welcoming banner, “No Gods or Kings. Only Man.” The visual and auditory execution of this introductory act is worth the purchase price of the game, alone. It is probably the best example of game immersion since Rand and Robyn Miller’s Riven in 1997.
After the pod ride into Rapture, the city of BioShock, the game takes what I see as a series of wrong turns. The player is presented with a radio transmission from another character that will lead them to their next destinations through a series of goals. There goes exploration. Next, you’re told to pick up a weapon to defend yourself. There goes isolation. Finally, you inject yourself with a DNA-mutating agent that allows you to shoot electric bolts from your hand. There goes maturity. From this point on, the game just feels like another shooter with an above-average backdrop to the constant action sequences.
This is not to say that BioShock is a bad game, by any means. I also love exploring what happens when good ideas fall apart. I wasn’t about to give up on Levine’s masterwork because of a few misfires. I fully enjoyed the game. The Little Sisters and Big Daddies are great characters, and a whole lot of fun to deal with in each level. Hacking the mechanical devices of Rapture via a Pipe Dream remix was a fun, albeit insufficiently designed game mechanic to break up the shooting action. Also, as much as the magical plasmids pricked at the plausibility and maturity of the game’s concept, they were fun to use and well implemented. BioShock was a good first-person shooter, there’s no contesting that. I just wonder what BioShock could have been had it not been a shooter at all.
2 comments:
The problem with Bioshock is that it was released after Half-Life 2. Because Half-Life was so well crafted, we now expect story driven FPS's to deliver fully on both story and game play. Think back to Deus Ex and System Shock 2, Bioshock's predecessor's. Both had incredible story with game play that while good, was no where near the quality of their story.
Also, the success of Halo might have hindered Bioshock's development. A studio's main purpose to there publishers is to make money. It's going to be very rare that studios are allowed the time to craft a well-rounded FPS in the days of bro-shooters.
I really wanted to play it, based on previews, but passed on it because of the reasons you listed--I'm not really interested in an FPS.
Post a Comment